Unfortunately, most gardeners (and large farms) have long abandoned the cultivation of this wonderful root crop. Growing turnips in Russia before the appearance of potatoes in vegetable gardens was commonplace. This vegetable was almost the main foodstuff of the majority of the population. Still in some areas of the Russian Federation, this root crop is grown.
Growing turnips in your garden is a profitable activity. This biennial high-yielding plant belongs to the cruciferous family. It has root crops of various shapes: oval, round, elongated, flat-round. Their flesh can be white or yellow (depending on turnip variety). In the first year of planting, the plant forms root crops and leaves, and in the second year, the peduncle and seeds.
Growing turnips is not much different from growing swede and beetroot. Its advantage is early maturity. Root crops can be harvested after 60-70 days after germination. That is why growing turnips in one plot can be done 2 times per season (under favorable climatic conditions).
After harvesting, seed plants are stored in the basement, and in spring planted in open ground to receive seeds. Turnip blooms on the 15th-20th day after planting. Seeds fully ripen on the 65th-70th day.
Growing turnips requires a certain agricultural technique. She prefers sunny areas of fertile soil. To enhance plant growth, wood ash should be added to the ground, as it reduces the
acidity of the soil.
For sowing turnip seeds do not make fresh manure. They germinate well at 15 ° C, and seedlings tolerate short-term frosts up to -6 ° C. Sow turnips in the spring, after the soil dries up (on a site dug up from autumn). It is best to form ridges or ridges on it, which correct in the spring. The seeds are sown on them. On 10 sq.m. their plot will need only 3-4 g. Seedlings need to be thinned out, leaving a distance of 9-10 cm between them.
Growing turnips will require the gardener to regularly weed, water (so that the land does not dry out) and pest control. This root crop is harvested selectively (as it ripens), but always before frost. Leaves are cut, and turnips are stored.
How is turnip useful? This vegetable is an inexpensive source of carotene, vitamin C and many minerals. It has a lot of citric acid. Nutritionists recommend including turnips in the diet as a therapeutic and dietary product. It has long been used not only as a food product, but also as a medicine. Decoctions of it were used as a diuretic, anti-inflammatory and sedative. The juice of this vegetable helps with colds, coughing, toothache and scurvy.
How to use turnips for food? Salads are made from it, it is boiled, stuffed and stewed. It is best suited as a side dish for meat dishes. Turnip in soups is very tasty. Even its young leaves are used for various salads, salting and soups.
It is also worth mentioning such a wonderful vegetable as fodder turnip (turnip). This biennial high-yielding plant belongs to the cruciferous family. Turnips are grown only in culture. It can grow in northern latitudes, where other plants can not stand the cold. It is grown mainly for livestock feed, although some varieties of turnip are quite suitable for human consumption.